In an interesting, but not necesarily surprising, tidbit for information, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google has ramped up the development of their Voice Assistance, formerly known as Majel, to better compete with Apple’s revamped Siri.

“As Google and Apple’s share has grown, the fighting between them has intensified. Last week, Apple unveiled the next version of its software for iPhones and iPads with a slate of features aimed at distancing itself from Google. They include a mapping service and enhanced Siri “virtual assistant” that provides an alternative way to search for information besides the traditional Google search box.

Google, meanwhile, has accelerated plans to launch its own Siri competitor that would work on Android-powered devices, people familiar with the matter have said.”

This comes a week before the big Google event where the search giant is expected to launch a Google-developed Android tablet, the Nexus 7, and perhaps their new mobile operating system, Jelly Bean. Android already ships with a very competent Siri equivalent and Samsung developed their own, Voice S, but what Google perhaps needs is a bit of marketing: show people how your Siri works, how its better than Apple’s, and how you can leverage your massive network of servers and computing power to make a better assistant. Please do it, but don’t hire Zooey Deschanel.